The present teachings relate generally to the field of protective barrier devices, systems, and methods, and more particularly to a protective barrier device for protecting structures from wind-launched debris.
Various protective barrier devices exist tier protecting buildings and the like from damage caused by environmental forces. Environmental forces can include any applied force, such as the heavy winds and/or rains of hurricanes or tornadoes and the missile-like objects that these forces may create, or any other force, such as pressure-washing, sand-blasting overspray, and other applied forces. These protective barrier devices include commercially available variations of weather-related protective devices that fasten immediately over a frangible area such as a window to be protected. These devices are typically expensive to purchase, cumbersome, made from stiff, heavy material such as wood, steel and/or aircraft quality aluminum alloy or occasionally plastic with reinforcing. Many need to be manually connected and then removed and stored at each threat of inclement weather. Many require unsightly and difficult-to-mount reinforcing bars at multiple locations. Further, these known materials are usually opaque, preventing light frorn entering a protected area and preventing an inhabitant from seeing out. Likewise, it is desirable that police be able to see into buildings to check for inhabitants and to guard against looting which can be a problem in such circumstances. Missiles, even small not potentially damaging missiles, striking these known materials can create a loud, often frightening bang that is disturbing to inhabitants being protected.
Additionally, protective devices can be formed of flexible, mesh materials. These flexible barriers are less cumbersome, inexpensive, and quieter than other protective barrier devices. These flexible, mesh protective devices can be neatly stored and quickly installed. However, such flexible protective barrier devices are susceptible to tearing at the point of anchor insertion. This is, at least in part, because the anchor can damage and deteriorate the fabric at the anchor insertion point. These flexible protective barriers are also susceptible to damage or are otherwise expensive to shape and form immediately prior to installation at the structure site due, in part, to the flexible material becoming susceptible to fraying at the edge portion.
Additionally, there have been attempts to sell do-it-yourself (“DIY”) kits utilizing flexible mesh materials, among other things, but none have been commercially acceptable. These kits have suffered due in part to the requirement of the flexible mesh barrier body having to be commercially finished such that the customer had to send in sizes and shapes and then the barriers would be custom formed using systems that include heavy commercial sewing machines and heat welders, to create each individual barrier as a one-off customized item. Likewise, the anchoring systems available to the various earlier DIY systems have been slow, cumbersome and have proven to be weak and insufficient to withstand even a minor hurricane. To be able to DIY the barrier on site, and thereby save the time and such for commercial finishing, fabric was used that did not have all of the herein described desirable properties for weather protection. Moreover, previous applications suffered from adhesives that did not have sufficient adhesion, shear strength retention, flexibility, resistance to UV, water, chemicals and biological degradants, all at high temperatures of around 200 degrees F.
Standardized testing requires these protective devices to meet certain standards of strength and integrity tier various utilizations and locales. In order to qualify for use where testing requirements apply, the strength and integrity characteristics of these protective devices must be predictable and must be sufficient to meet mandated standards. Additionally, it is beneficial to qualify for these standards even in situations in which standards do not apply. These standards exacerbate many undesirable aspects of protective barrier devices.
Thus, improved protective barrier devices, systems, and methods of protecting structures from environmental forces, including improved protective barrier devices constructed from a fabric that will resist tearing and can be custom fitted by a consumer that can be easily stored and deployed for protecting a frangible portion of a structure from environmental forces is desired.